SCRT and Telsys join SecureLink and SecureData, bought in 2019, to aid what Orange calls its “ambitious strategy to establish itself as the European leader in cybersecurity”.
Hugues Foulon (pictured), CEO of Orange Cyberdefense, said: “We are delighted with this acquisition and happy to welcome these new teams as they will strengthen all of our capabilities.”
The acquisition – for which Orange has not given a price – means Orange Cyberdefense is now in nine countries: France, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, UK and Switzerland.
The unit, which now has more than 2,700 cybersecurity employees, bought Netherlands-based SecureLink in 2019 in a €515 million deal, only months after buying UK-based SecureData for a price that was not stated.
Foulon said: “This is another step forward in our goal to establish ourselves as the European leader in cybersecurity. We are accelerating into the seventh cybersecurity market in Europe and thus consolidating the position of the Orange Group in the Swiss market.”
Orange Cyberdefense increased its turnover of by 14% in 2021, in a global market that it said was growing by more than 10% year on year. The unit aims to have a turnover of €1 billion in 2023.
SCRT and Telsys are sister companies with their common headquarters in Morges near Lausanne. They employ around 100 staff in Geneva and Bern.
Eric Delangle, chairman of SCRT and Telsys, said: “This operation will enable us to pursue our leadership project in Switzerland by relying on the size of Orange Cyberdefense, its portfolio of services and its operational model to better serve our national customers.”
Orange Cyberdefense is already present in Switzerland through Orange Business Services. It will retain the management and integrated teams of both companies to strengthen and accelerate its expansion plans, particularly in the Swiss-German territories in synergy with Orange Business Services, said Orange.
Orange added: “We are also strengthening and augmenting our capabilities in terms of ethical hacking on the European market, with more than 200 professionals dedicated to this activity. In addition, by relying on the expertise and resources of the Orange Group, SCRT and Telsys are now able to expand their portfolio of services to offer their customers a wider range of managed security and IT services 24/7.”
